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Natasha Khan recommended Post by Bjork in Music (curated)

 
Post by Bjork
Post by Bjork
2006 | Rock
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think it's because when I was 12 I had Debut and I really liked that because I was just dancing around singing and enjoying it, quite an innocent record that had some beautiful moments. But really for me Post is an album I heard that was unlike any other at the time which was combining electronic and organic elements and I just really enjoyed delving into that sonic universe that she created, it's so experimental and forward-thinking and unique to her, but it perfectly fit into that time and landscape. I think it's really timeless. I think she has become a certain thing now but on those first four or five albums, for me, she was such a pioneer and so fiercely dedicated to her art and so unique and so closely linked to themes of nature and passion and love and the body and raw childlike feelings, and using all these really exciting instruments and sounds to put across her pop songs. 'Army Of Me' was the first single that came out - [sings intro] - POW! Clanging, massive drums and Michel Gondry was making the videos and I think the album just sonically draws in so many amazing, London early to mid nineties influences. But then having songs like 'Cover Me'. I remember hearing an alternately recorded version of 'Cover Me' which she actually did in a bat cave! You can hear the bats squealing and flitting about, so there's all these kind of sub-bass, deep 808 beat noises that I got really excited about, but she's got like bloody harpsichords and harps and stuff like really archaic chamber music sounds mixed with really heavily electronic digital sounds. So that was a real education, combining those things, because for me, if it's too much of one or the other I miss them a bit. Even on Berlin there's a lot of real instruments but there's synths and stuff going on too - I love it when people combine those things. Also, the eclecticness of the record: she's not afraid to travel from songs like 'I Miss You' which is that type of fanfare to 'Army Of Me' which is dark and techno and 'Hyperballad', which is like fucking four-to-the-floor, but just with all these strings it's super-emotive, a Technicolor dream."

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Nancy Whang recommended Dynamics by Holy Ghost! in Music (curated)

 
Dynamics by Holy Ghost!
Dynamics by Holy Ghost!
2013 | Alternative, Dance, Electronic, Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Full disclosure - I'm a little biased. They're on DFA, they're my friends, and one of them is my boyfriend. But regardless of that I think it's a really beautiful record. The first record they did was great but I know that they were still trying to hone their sound, figure out what they were and what sort of stance to take. So with Dynamics I think it's way more solid and way more confident. Knowing them, they're such an interesting combination writing-wise because one of them, if it were up to him, would make a Tangerine Dream record, and the other has real pop sensibilities. So together they can make this thing that's really lush, beautiful and complex, but also accessible. I feel the album was overlooked somehow, and I don't really understand it. It makes me question my musical sensibility. I think this record is amazing so why doesn't everybody think this record is amazing? But it is. I listened to it a couple of months before it came out and at the time I was touring a lot as a DJ, spending a lot of time by myself because that's just what happens when you're a DJ that has to travel. So it was getting a little bleak. Every day I was in some other place, alone, inside of a hotel room, inside a club, on an aeroplane. But I had that record on my iPod and I would have to go running just to stop myself from throwing myself under a bus. I loved every song and each time I listened to it I'd try and pick my favourite track but as each one ended another one would start that I thought was better than the other. It's a mystery to me though, because it's not like I was the only person who loved it. All of our friends, the whole of DFA, whose musical tastes I trust over anybody else, we were all in agreement that it was a great record. I think maybe I just don't know what other people want to hear, which is an uncomfortable position to be in doing what I do. But I know that they're very proud of the record and so I'm glad for that."

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Sundrademe (1 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies

Apr 1, 2018 (Updated Apr 1, 2018)  
Ready Player One (2018)
Ready Player One (2018)
2018 | Sci-Fi
A blast from the past every nerd can appreciate. (1 more)
Good pacing.
Who are these people? Little character development. (1 more)
Only surface deep. Don't look for a message here.
Not surprised by Spielberg
I'll have to admit, when I first saw the trailer for this movie I turned to my fiancé and said "that looks so stupid!" After seeing a few more trailers I started to notice things. Is that the Iron Giant? Did I just see Harley Quinn? Who has enough pull to get rights to all these characters? Of course! this is a piece from the master of adventure, Steven Spielberg. Okay, now I've got to see this.
For anyone who's seen a Spielberg movie will recognize the common themes; a young hero with empty pockets but a brave heart who's destined for adventure, a rag-tag group of friends, and a dying dream that they must save at all costs. Sorry that's The Goonies, well same difference.
This is the story of Wade Watts, a teenager in 2045, who's dirt poor but like most people, escapes his reality by going into the virtual world called The Oasis. In the Oasis you can be anyone (or anything), go anywhere, and do just about anything. The late creator of the Oasis has hidden an Easter Egg (for non geeks, this is a fun piece of side content a director hides within a game or movie), and the person who finds the egg will win all of the creators shares in the company.
Wade belongs to a clever group of friends on the fringes of society who like most people are searching for this egg. What makes them so special outside of everyone else in the world? Eh, heart? Anyway, follow along the mystery and adventure, where you will see how they find the egg-because we all know they will.
Look, this movie is awesome. Spielberg is the king of pop culture and he really shines here. everyone will love the use of old and new characters from comics, games and all corners of media; the odd mix of music as far back as the 70s till now; and the obvious-not-so-obvious references to cult classics. It's cute, it's easy to swallow and it's a lot of fun.
Don't expect this to be your new favorite movie or to have long talks about it later on with friends. Nor will you walk away enamored with any of the characters because they aren't that interesting. Sure, you'll probably want to see it again but probably once it hits DVD.
  
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Emeli Sande recommended track Angel of Mine by Eternal in Greatest Hits by Eternal in Music (curated)

 
Greatest Hits by Eternal
Greatest Hits by Eternal
1997 | Hip-hop, Pop, Rap, Soul
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

Angel of Mine by Eternal

(0 Ratings)

Track

"I loved the lyric in 'Angel of Mine', and I loved how simple and poignant it was. Eternal was actually my first concert I went to – I just remember learning all these ballads of theirs. I was completely Eternal-obsessed from eight to 12! Maybe it was that they had elements of gospel in their music, and it was still in the pop scene. ""There weren’t many black women on the TV when I was growing up – there were maybe one or two, not people I could look up to and say, ‘Oh, that’s me, that’s who represents me. I have a chance of being on TV one day, and I could be a singer.’ ""When Eternal came along, my mind was blown on so many levels. I thought they were so beautiful, and they had so many hairstyles that I thought were amazing. Then, on top of that, they could truly sing ­ – they’d come from the church. Instead of always looking at American singers, they gave me a British option – something more relatable and close to home. ""Now, there’s so much [black British media] coming out – the actress Zawe Ashton has just released a book, and it was so amazing to see her take account of her [experiences]. There’ve never been any people on TV that show any products for her hair, just this dream that’s sold that you’re going to have this amazing glossy hair! I felt so touched by that chapter, ‘cause it just reminded me of myself as a kid. You forget once you’re an adult, and you get to move somewhere like London and have access to all of these things. As a kid it can feel very lonely and you feel very different. I feel very grateful for the progress we’ve made as a country, to prevent that feeling as much as possible."" ""I try my best to take on that responsibility, though thankfully I think there’s so many more people of colour on TV – including black women. The culture has so much more of a voice from when I was growing up, and I think that’s the beautiful thing about social media as well: you can see yourself in so many places, and you can choose where you look. When I’m on TV, though, I definitely think about that. I think about me as a kid, and what that would have meant to me. I’m proud of stepping out there and doing my best to represent in the best way possible. I feel very grateful to have had that opportunity. It’s so important for children’s self-esteem and sense of belonging."

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Merissa (11758 KP) rated Boy Banned in Books

Jun 8, 2023  
Boy Banned
Boy Banned
RJ Scott | 2016 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I started reading this book at night, and that was my first mistake!

STOP!!!! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT OPENING THIS BOOK...

... at least, not until you can sit down and read it without interruption because, trust me, you will NOT want to be disturbed until you've finished it! Like I said, I started it at night and read until I couldn't read anymore. I reluctantly put it down, only to dream about the story and the characters all night. I couldn't wait to continue the next day, but life got in the way, making me wait.

Mind you, it was worth it when I could finally dive back in and continue with Corey and Angel's story. Taking place in a UK reality pop show, Angel and Corey, plus the other members of the bank, are actually there as individuals but are placed together by the judges. After a faltering start, they come together, becoming good friends and helping each other out. The fly in the ointment is their 'mentor'. Yeesh, I wasn't sure it was possible to really dislike someone to the extent that I did with her.

All five of these characters are amazing, supportive and friendly to each other whilst dealing with their own foibles. Corey and Angel are the ones who stole my heart, but each of them is in there! The descriptions used to describe Corey and how he is feeling/dealing with things are raw and real! Angel being his safe place made complete sense and that is just one other thing that I loved about this story. It all makes sense!!! Nothing seems forced or out of place. The story flows, with sweet and spicy spots, but overall, it is a love story.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I absolutely LOVE this story. It is one of the books that I couldn't wait to finish but really didn't want to either. I needed to know if they got their HEA but didn't want their story to end. Totally first-rate, highly recommended and everything that goes with it. Basically, if you like M/M Romance, you should give this book a try!!! (Bearing in mind what I said at the start!) I sincerely hope that for every Corey out there, they find their Angel!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 27, 2016
  
Same Old - Single by SHY Martin
Same Old - Single by SHY Martin
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
SHY Martin (Sara Hjellström) is a singer-songwriter raised in the small town of Lerdala, Sweden. Not too long ago, she released a lyric video for her “Same Old” single.

“My whole life changed after I moved. I lived the dream he’d always supported, and I got to see the world we’d both dreamt of. For a long time, I thought I wasn’t allowed to be hurt or miss him because I was the one who left. Today, I know that sometimes it’s just as hard to be the one who has to leave, if not harder.” – SHY Martin

‘Same Old’ tells an elegant tale which touches on a bittersweet personal story of SHY Martin.

Apparently, not too long ago, she moved away to music school, and in doing so, she had to break up with a supportive lost love.
‘Same Old’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lavish instrumentation scented with an electro-pop aroma.

Also, the Hampus Hjellström-directed audiovisual showcases moments from SHY Martin’s recent European tour.

‘Same Old’ follows the April release of SHY’s “Out of My Hands” single. Also, the likable tune follows in the success of her debut EP, entitled, “Overthinking”, which has amassed a collective 100M+ Spotify streams.

The impactful EP was driven by the singles “Forget To Forget”, “Good Together”, and “Just A Little Longer”.

Not too long ago, SHY established herself as a songwriter, which led to a co-write and feature vocals on Mike Perry’s “The Ocean” single.

SHY Martin recorded the vocals in one-take in her home wardrobe after a tonsil operation. She wrote the song with longtime Swedish songwriting partner, SHY Nodi, whom she has written several other songs with.

The track won Spotify Sweden’s Most Streamed Song of the Year with a groundbreaking 550M+ streams.

Since then, Martin’s songwriting catalog has gone on to generate 2.5 billion Spotify streams.

Her credits include “First Time” by Kygo ft. Ellie Goulding, “(Not) The One” by Bebe Rexha, “All We Know” by The Chainsmokers, “I Wanna Know” by NOTD (ft. Bea Miller), as well as songs for Jess Glynne, Astrid S, and ALMA, among others.

“I was never good at talking about my feelings so I wrote them down instead. When I felt sad, me and my mum wrote letters to each other about it. So expressing myself through songs came pretty naturally for me.” – SHY Martin

SHY Martin began writing songs and poetry in her youth as a means of self-expression. After winning a music contest at her school at age 17, she signed with EMI for a period though ultimately decided to go independent.

Recently, she just wrapped up her first European headline tour, which traversed 14 cities.
  
The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)
The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)
2020 | Comedy, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) works in a very well-known art gallery owned by the ever so extraordinary Eva Woolf (Bernadette Peters). It has been a dream of hers since she was very young to work as a curator in a gallery and she is starting as an assistant at “The Woolf”.

She has been seeing Max (Utkarsh Ambudkar), the gallery curator for a while. Helping him with information on the artists as well as the likes and dislikes of Eva. On the night of the latest show launch, Eva asks Lucy to step to the podium and introduce Max so he could open the show. In a matter of minutes, Lucy loses her job and is dumped.

Lucy, having been through a traumatic loss, mistakenly hops into a stranger’s car under the assumption that it was her uber. She then proceeds to tell the driver of her night of disaster without registering that she is in the car of a stranger that is not her uber driver. Come to find out, the driver, Nick (Dacre Montgomery) is a budding hotelier trying to build a small boutique hotel.
He drops her off at the apartment, where her roommates immediately cocoon her in a dance that they have done oh so many times.

She has known Nadine (Phillipa Soo) and Amanda (Molly Gordon) since they were in high school. This trio is the partner in crime type of best friends. The interactions between them is so well coordinated I believed that they have been the closest of friends for ages. The same goes for Nick and his best friend Marcos (Arturo Castro).

.This film is the perfect Romantic Comedy that is very well suited for this moment in time.

It is a well-deserved salve on the dearth of darkness in cinema as of late. The lines are funny, the timing of the responses, quick and clever. It is also quirky and charming as well as emotional and sweet.

Natalie Krinsky, the Writer and Director had cast the characters perfectly. The actors drew me into the film as I laughed at their escapades, vicariously experienced celebrations. This movie was a joy to watch. It was sweet, funny, clever, and heartwarming.

Viswanathan embodied Lucy. The character is of the modern twenty something woman in hipsterville. She showed that Lucy is intelligent, imperfect and at times, insecure, but she is brave and willing to forge through anything.

The soundtrack is fantastic, the songs support the scenes and it is a veritable list of the current pop artists that are played in daily rotation.

Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Halsey, Rita Ora, Ariana Grande, and Selena Gomez who is an executive producer on the film.
If this is the direction of the modern romantic comedy, I look forward to the development of this genre as it grows. I rarely want to watch most films a second time. If you like the Romcom, this is one that is thoroughly enjoyable. Well worth the time and the ticket.